Road Apples, #57

Taxes...Well I completed by 2009 tax return, and it looks like I owe $91. That's not too bad actually. I don't think that it's a good idea to get a tax refund, as that means you gave the government more than what it was due, and as a result the government held your money...sans interest...all year. My goal is to ideally break even, although I usually end up owing something. I do have to double check the tuition payments I made for my oldest daughter though.

Let It (Stop) Snow...After something like a foot of snow over the past three or more days, I'm officially done with winter and snow. Fortunately it is almost March, which means that the seasonal corner is about to change. The older I get, the less I like these winters.

Earthquake In Chile...Another disaster, and this is a big one. It goes to show that in the end there is not a lot that we can actually control when it comes to our planet and even our very existence. Hopefully the death-toll will not be too high. Just out of sheer curiosity I wonder how many high school students can even find Chile on a map?

Blogs & Blogging...I do have this love/hate relationship with blogs and blogging. The love part is readily apparent, as it is 7:30am and I'm sitting here typing this; the hate part is a bit more subtle, but comes into play whenever I feel compelled to write something in response to something else. While I do enjoy a good discussion, I don't enjoy engaging in "flame-wars", but yet every so often I get sucked into it. As Katrina would say, "Le Sigh". In the enjoyable department, I do think I owe NEPAristan a response to his response to my post on unions (try saying that three fast), which I will get to in due time.

Speaking Of Blogs...I have always enjoyed reading about religion and religious issues, going back to when I was in my early teens. Back then I read every single book the Scranton Public Library had on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Being firmly rooted in all things Mormon, I branched to other belief systems, including the Catholicism that has been a part of my life all my life (even when I don't necessarily go to church). Trying to keep an open mind about things, I've kept a few religious blogs on my reading list, originally with Bridget Mary's blog (from the left) and uber-conservative Bishop Williamson's blog on the right. Talk about extremes. Well the good Bishop decided to end his blog, which is a shame by the way, as I particularly enjoyed his postings on diverse things like poetry, Shakespeare and culture. Needing something of a Yang to the Bridget Mary's Ying, along comes The Rockin Apologist. While the Apologist may seem down-right liberal compared to Bishop Williamson, he ever the less is unabashedly conservative in his views. If you are interested in a conservative Catholic point of view, check out his blog.

Speaking of Religious Conservatives...A few postings by The Rockin Apologist reminded me of another religious conservative, Jack Chick. When I was a teenager (and steeped in learning about various religions) I would always enjoy reading the occasional Jack Chick bible tract I would find in the men's room. If you are not familiar with Jack Chick and his work, you can link to his website HERE. While I don't consider myself smart enough to have a "theological point of view", I will say that I don't subscribe to much of what Mr Chick preaches in his cartoons. I do, however, admire the work: I think they are well drawn, he is remarkably consistent in his message and he is an equal opportunity offender (slamming Mormons, Catholics, Masons and others with equal furor). If you have some time to kill, read some of Chick's tracts...whether your agree or disagree with the message, you may find the delivery method interesting.